Areas for future development

The 74-hectare Northern Gateway Transport and Employment Precinct is located north of the existing developed areas of Cundletown. It is located between the Taree Regional Airport and the northern Taree access to the Pacific Highway, which is the main regional transport corridor linking Sydney and Brisbane. 

The Northern Gateway is intended for transport employment generating industries given its proximity to the Pacific Highway. Over time, this hub could be connected to other transport forms including air and rail. Expected uses include freight transport facilities, truck depots, transport depots, warehouses and distribution centres. The Northern Gateway site adjoins a proposed service centre site. 

An opportunity exists for the immediate development of this site. Coupled with the low cost of land and labour, this development is likely to encourage the establishment of transport and logistics businesses and other industrial businesses seeking low freight costs in Taree. 

Stage 1 of the project was rezoned in 2016 and development consent provided for a transport depot, while Stage 2 was approved for rezoning in 2020.

See a map of the proposed Northern Gateway Transport and Employment Precinct here(PDF, 251KB).

Next steps

The land is rezoned and ready for landowners and developers to lodge Development Applications with Council.

The North Tuncurry Urban Release Area is located on the eastern side of The Lakes Way, north of the Tuncurry Campus of the Great Lakes College.

The North Tuncurry Urban Release contains 615 hectares of Crown Land that has now been rezoned to deliver new homes, jobs, services, conservation and recreation land. The Minister for Planning approved the rezoning of the land in March 2023 by amending the Great Lakes Local Environmental Plan 2014.

The rezoning is the first step in Landcom’s vision to deliver new homes, jobs, services, conservation land, and open space close to the growing Tuncurry-Forster urban area. Landcom is the NSW Government’s land and property development organisation.

Details on the project can be found on the Department’s website, along with information about how community and agency submissions were considered. Further information is also available on Landcom’s website and Council’s Have Your Say website 

Next steps

Prior to the lodgement of Development Applications, Council is currently negotiating and preparing a Planning Agreement with Landcom. 

The MidCoast is set to expand, with the rezoning approved for the new town of Brimbin, with the ability to house approximately 22,000 residents.

Brimbin is located 8km north-east of Taree. The site extends from the Lansdowne River to the east through to the Dawson River in the west, straddles Lansdowne Road and covers an area of around 3,700ha.  The land is currently used for cattle grazing with two large dams, on either side of Lansdowne Road. Extensive areas of native vegetation are also located on the site, much of which will be protected. The residential and commercial parts of the town will be centred around the large dam on the western side of Lansdowne Road, while industrial and agricultural employment development will be located on the eastern side of Lansdowne Road.

The rezoning involved changing the zone of the land from rural, to zones that provided a foundation for a new town (including residential and employment zones).  These following changes are the first step towards developing the new town:

• 874 hectares of residential land with the capacity to house approximately 22,000 people in 8,000 homes built over 30 years
• a mixed-use centre and three neighbourhood centres
• four schools comprising three primary and one high school
• 112 hectares of employment and industrial land
• 400 hectares of primary production and rural employment land
• 600 hectares of environmental living lands
• a range of retail and commercial services to cater for the population in Brimbin
• over 1,000 hectares of land for conservation and reserve purposes.

A key feature is the conservation land which will remain an important habitat, forming part of the Brimbin Nature Reserve. In addition, this site has been biodiversity certified, meaning that the ecology issues have been resolved upfront enabling a more efficient processing of future development applications.

When fully developed (in around 30 years), Brimbin is expected to accommodate a population of around 22,000 people. This is about the size of Taree and will both significantly increase the population of the MidCoast and reinforce Taree’s role as a major regional centre. The Brimbin structure plan(PDF, 394KB) provides the blueprint for how the land will be developed.

Next steps

While the rezoning is a significant step towards this new town, the next phase is to decide how the town will be laid out and where parks, roads and services will be located.  This detailed master planning process will be undertaken by Roche Group (the developer) in consultation with the Council. This master planning has commenced.

The community will continue to play a major role in the realisation of this new town, Council encourages the community to keep updated on its progress via this website.

FIGTREES on the Manning is located on the northern bank of the Manning River, approximately 2km east of the Taree town centre. The site is around 20ha in size and includes a closed dairy factory in Pitt Street, through to and including the Mid Coast Ford site on Bligh Street, Chatham.

Given the location and heritage of the site a master plan was developed to determine the future development of this important waterfront site. The master plan(PDF, 5MB) allows for a range of uses across the site including open space, residential, commercial and tourism. A marina has also been included in the master plan.

A major outcome of this rezoning was to open up the foreshore for public use and to create an off-road pedestrian / cycleway link between the Taree CBD and the recreation / entertainment precinct to the east of this site.

The site will ultimately enable the construction of around 500 residential units and have a range of commercial buildings which can be occupied by cafes, restaurants and other businesses.

A voluntary planning agreement outlines what public outcomes the landowners are required to provide with each stage of the development. 

Next steps

In 2019 the Hon Dr David Gillespie MP, Federal Member for Lyne, secured an $8.5 million grant to Bushland Health Group Limited to provide the public infrastructure associated with the FIGTREES on the Manning development precinct, located on the river at Chatham including:

• Extending Pitt Street to link up with Bligh Street, including a bridge/culvert over the creek
• Upgrading of Pitt and Bligh Streets
• Upgrading of the intersection of Nelson / Lyndhurst Streets with Oxley Street (former highway) including installation of traffic lights
• Modification of the intersection of Pioneer and Chatham Streets (former highway) to extend turning lanes
• Upgrading of the intersection of Bligh Street and Manning River Drive (former highway), including installation of traffic lights
• Providing a pedestrian / cycle bridge over Browns Creek, linking the Taree CBD through the Bicentennial Gardens through to the Taree Recreation Grounds / Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre / Manning Entertainment Centre 

Following the completion of the public infrastructure, Council expects to receive a development application for subdivision to create 'super-lots' upon which individual developments will be undertaken.

Four major precincts have been rezoned to accommodate the future growth of Old Bar.  

Located immediately north of Old Bar, this land was rezoned to allow tourist facilities. The site is in a scenic location overlooking the Manning River’s southern entrance at Farquhar Inlet. This precinct provides a great opportunity to enable tourist facilities at this popular tourist destination. 

This precinct is located immediately west of the existing Old Bar township on both sides of Old Bar Road. The precinct enables the residential expansion of the township of Old Bar, providing around 1,400 new lots. An existing creek corridor running north-south through the precinct will provide for walking and cycle paths to link the community from Mudbishops Park in the north to Wallabi Point in the south through each of the development precincts.

A new town centre is proposed in this precinct, located on both sides of Old Bar Road. A town park will be located immediately adjacent and a range of community and business activities will be encouraged in this location to cater for the growing population of Old Bar.

This map(PDF, 1MB) shows the location and proposed layout of Precinct 2B.

Refer to the Greater Taree Development Control Plan 2010 for details on the rules and guidelines that apply to any development in this precinct.

Located directly south of Precinct 2B, it proposes approximately 500 additional residential lots and a 9 hole golf course. The precinct is divided by Forest Lane and will provide access between the Trad Sporting Fields in the south and beach access.

Refer to the Greater Taree Development Control Plan 2010 for details on the rules and guidelines that apply to any development in this precinct. 

Next steps

The precincts are rezoned and ready for landowners to lodge Development Applications with Council.

This precinct is located immediately south of the Gloucester township on the western side of The Bucketts Way. The precinct enables the residential expansion of the township of Gloucester, providing around 80 new lots with views and vistas toward The Bucketts ranges and opportunities to link with the adjacent Gloucester golf course.

A Planning Agreement exists for the site which proposes to dedicate the vegetated road frontage of the site to Council as reserve in addition to further enhancing the environmental values of the site.

This map(PDF, 383KB) shows the location and proposed layout of the site.

Next steps

The land is rezoned and ready for landowners to lodge Development Applications with Council.

The 195-hectare Stratford Heavy Industrial Precinct is located adjacent to the Stratford Mining Complex approximately 15 kilometres to the south of Gloucester near the Stratford Village. It is situated to leverage from good access to The Bucketts Way, the North Coast Rail Line and the Newcastle coal rail network.

Stratford Mining Complex began production in June 1995, and after nearly 30 years, Stratford completed coal extraction in July 2024 and has commenced the mine closure phase. The Stratford Mining Complex has been identified as a location to establish a renewable energy hub post-mining. If the project proceeds, it could generate more renewable energy for NSW via a pumped hydro scheme and supporting solar facility. The owners of the Stratford Mining Complex (Yancoal) are currently assessing the feasibility of the Stratford Renewable Energy Hub, and have commenced applications for NSW and Federal Government approvals

The precinct, originally intended for adjunct coal mining industries and coal seam gas processing plants, is the only IN3 Heavy Industrial zoned land available in the MidCoast. Strategic planning of the site has ensured that adequate buffers and separation distances can be achieved from surrounding farms.

The precinct represents a unique opportunity for large scale heavy, hazardous or noxious industries that generate significant impacts to establish or relocate to the MidCoast area with good access to freight and logistics networks and established employment bases.  

The Stratford Industrial Park structure can be viewed here(PDF, 6MB). To be kept updated on the progress of this project you can view the website for the Stratford Renewable Energy Hub. 

Next steps

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project was placed on public exhibition from 2 October to 29 October 2024. The submissions are currently being considered. The final determination on the project application will be made by NSW Government.